Franken-Castle #21Review

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Frank heads to Monster Island for some well-deserved vacation time.

By Jesse Schedeen

When Franken-Castle #21 was first unveiled, the issue seemed to offer a fun little side-story for Frank as he arrived on Monster Island. Now, this book may have the unfortunate distinction of serving as a series finale. Rick Remender is bringing this chapter of Frank's career to a close. Disappointingly, the issue wastes little time in moving Frank along and setting the stage for the upcoming In the Blood mini-series. There is certainly fun to be had in this story. Frank rips plenty of overgrown monsters to shreds. He even turns his wrath against his friends in the Legion of Monsters for a bit, including guest star Elsa Bloodstone. But emotionally, this issue can't quite satisfy. Frank was clearly in a very low place after his battle with Daken. Remender had the opportunity to put to bed all the turmoil and hardship Frank has endured in the past year. Instead, it all passes by with little attention paid.

The real attraction in this issue may be for the art of Dan Brereton. Brereton's work has been saved for where it fits best in this series - rendering plenty of imposing, larger than life monsters and generally creepy visuals. The old-school horror vibe in this issue is much appreciated, and the painted style sets this issue apart from most Punisher stories that have come before. Sadly, the Franken-Castle era ends with more of a whimper than a bang. But on the bright side, Remender's epilogue story suggests it might not be so bad for the franchise to get back to basics.